$5 Buys A Pedicab Ride in Fort Worth

Fort Worth resident Robin Glaysher lost her job to a corporate layoff. Like so many others — hand raised here — who became unemployed because of downsizing or company closing, she transformed herself into an entrepreneur and launched her own small business — Fairmount Bike Taxi, named for her area of operation.

Sure, she had to clear some city zoning hurdles to bring human-powered commercial vehicle service to the city’s south side — pedicabs already operate in downtown Fort Worth, according to a Fort Worth Star-Telegram article — but such is life for an enterprising small-business person out to do something out of the ordinary.

In addition to hauling around humans, the little company also offers courier service, restaurant delivery, and mobile adverting, so way to branch out Glaysher. And lookie here, she’s got a help-wanted ad posted to her website so unlike most of Corporate America, Fairmount Bike Taxi is hiring … and growing.

With manufacturing, technology, call center — argh — and so many other jobs taken out of the country, unless you’re on a board of directors or the janitor cleaning up after them, this — small business entrepreneurship, not necessarily pedicabs — might be the future of the U.S. economy.

Bravo Robin Glaysher.

Bruce Felps owns and operatesEast Dallas Times, an online community news outlet serving the White Rock Lake area. He probably wouldn’t feel right riding in a pedicab or rickshaw.